Jason Bonham, who played with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin at the band’s London O2 Arena reunion show in 2007, decided to put together his own tribute to his late dad after seeing the show ‘Rain, a Tribute to the Beatles.’ Bonham has joined forces with Annerin Productions — the critically acclaimed producers of both ‘Rain’ and ‘The Pink Floyd Experience’ — to create a visual and auditory spectacle.

A high-tech sound system and light show will accompany Bonham’s performance, and giant screens will project home movies and photos, as well as art designs to compliment the music.

“I remember when I went to see Led Zeppelin live in 1979 at Knebworth, there were certain songs that stood out to me and will stay with me forever,” Bonham said. “I will also share other big moments in my life, time with my Dad and my relationship with the band. The show is far from being ‘just another tribute band.’ I want to make the show as personal as I can and show how much Led Zeppelin means to me.”

Bonham also plays in the supergroup Black Country Communion, which also features vocalist Glenn Hughes, guitarist Joe Bonamassa and keyboardist Derek Sherinian.

Sheryl Crow’s fresh, updated spin on classic roots rock made her one of the most popular mainstream rockers of the ’90s. Her albums were loose and eclectic on the surface, yet were generally tied together by polished, professional songcraft. Crow’s sunny, good-time rockers and world-weary ballads were radio staples for much of the ’90s, and she was a perennial favorite at Grammy time. Although her songwriting style was firmly anchored to the rock tradition, she wasn’t a slave to it — her free-associative, reference-laden poetry could hardly have been the product of any era but the ’90s. Her production not only kept pace with contemporary trends, but sometimes even pushed the envelope of what sounds could be heard on a classicist rock album, especially on her self-titled sophomore effort. All of this made Crow one of the most dependable stars of the decade, and she showed no signs of relinquishing her hard-won success in the new millennium.

A professional emcee who has hosted hundreds of corporate events and headlined at as many of the nation’s top comedy clubs, Scott can custom tailor his unique brand of showmanship to meet your needs.

Whether opening the general session, introducing executives, entertaining between official presentations or crafting segues that underscore your conference objectives, Scott is a valuable asset at any important gathering.

His presence adds the magical glue that holds a meeting together, giving it continuity, consistency and charismatic appeal.

When you hire Scott Bloom to host your event, his intelligence and vibrancy creates a dynamic and instant rapport with the audience.  He’ll get them all going and going strong with program warm-ups and participation games to kick off sessions and move them into breaks.

His charm and gracious introductions provide smooth transitions that add a veneer of distinction to all the speakers.  Whether through personal introductions or prerecorded pieces, he puts them at ease … and into the limelight.

Pair that with his sharp sense of humor and ability to improv, and he can take moments of important material and make them seriously funny and always memorable.

Scott is the “go to” talent when looking for a co-host , Master of Ceremonies or Emcee. He has been called “the Billy Crystal of corporate meetings”.

So the next time you’re looking to engage, educate, and entertain … introduce Scott Bloom, former host of VH1.  Rest assured, you’ll be introducing the best new component to staging successful meetings.

www.scottbloom.net

After working a string of behind-the-scenes jobs — including writing songs for Brandy, singing backup for the Sugababes, and impersonating Elvis — songwriter/producer Bruno Mars put his name on top of the charts in 2009 by co-writing Flo Rida’s hit song “Right Round.” One year later, he collaborated with rapper B.o.B on “Nothin’ on You” and co-wrote Travis McCoy’s “Billionaire,” both of which became Top Ten hits. Mars used that momentum to launch a solo career, quickly becoming the first male vocalist in two decades to crack the Top Ten with his first four singles.

Born Peter Hernandez in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mars kicked off his career at the age of four by fronting his uncle’s band, becoming Oahu’s youngest Elvis impersonator in the process. Ten years later, he was impersonating the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as part of the Legends in Concert show. After graduating high school in 2003, he took his uncle’s advice and moved to California to pursue a music career. After months of frustration, he met songwriter Phillip Lawrence, who convinced Mars to try his hand at writing songs for other artists. The two dubbed themselves the Smeezingtons and co-wrote “Long Distance,” which was recorded in 2008 by R&B singer Brandy. More offers arrived after that, and Mars and Lawrence scored their first number one hit in 2009, when they co-authored Flo Rida’s international smash “Right Round.”

By 2010, Mars seemed to be everywhere: singing alongside B.o.B on the chart-topping “Nothin’ on You,” co-writing Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire,” and collaborating with Cee-Lo Green on the Grammy-nominated hit “F*ck You!” He also began issuing his own material, starting with the May 2010 release of his first EP, It’s Better If You Don’t Understand. Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Mars’ full-length debut, appeared later that year and quickly produced a number one single, “Just the Way You Are.”

A successful standup comedian, you can book Tim Allen , the headliner of one of television’s most popular sitcoms, a movie star, and a best-selling author, Tim Allen spent much of the ’90s being a “Male Pig,” a source of pride for countless men, and a franchise unto himself. He was born Timothy Allen Dick, in Denver, CO, one of ten brothers and sisters. Mercilessly teased by his peers because of his last name, Allen developed a keen sense of humor to protect himself. His father died in an auto accident in 1964 when Allen was 11, and his mother later married an old high school flame who had also lost his wife in a car crash. Eventually the family moved to a suburb of Detroit. In 1976, Allen graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in television production and went on to work in a sporting goods store and then in an advertising agency. He made his debut as a standup comedian at Detroit’s Comedy Castle in 1979 after accepting a dare from a good friend, but his career was cut short when he was arrested for dealing cocaine and sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. Following his release, Allen decided to turn over a new leaf and concentrate on his standup career.

His early comedy routines were characterized by their vulgarity, and Allen did not find success until he perfected his “Men Are Pigs” routine. A glorious celebration of the masculine mystique centering on the joys of big block engines and tools (especially power tools), punctuated by his trademark manly grunting, the routine made him a hot property on the nightclub circuit and led to a series of televised specials on the Showtime cable network in the early ’90s. While constructing his career, Allen moonlighted in television commercials, including spots as Mr. Goodwrench. It was while performing for a Showtime special that he got his break in series television. Jeffrey Katzenberg, the chairman of Disney Studios, saw his act, liked it, and with Walt Disney Company chairman Michael Eisner, offered him the lead in a couple of planned series based on popular films; but Allen didn’t feel they were right and suggested instead that they do a series based on his comedy character. They agreed, and Home Improvement, the continuing saga of bumbling TV handyman (whose show somewhat resembled This Old House) Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor and his brood, debuted on the ABC television network in September 1991. It quickly went on to become one of the most consistently highly rated shows on television.

Allen made his starring feature film debut in 1994 with the box-office busting The Santa Clause. That same year, he also published a best-selling book, -Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man. In 1995, he provided the voice for the heroic toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear in Disney’s computer-generated extravaganza Toy Story, and the following year published his second book -I’m Not Really Here, a more philosophical look at his life, his fame, and his family. In 1997, he starred in the largely panned Jungle to Jungle, and could not be seen on the big screen again until 1999. That year — the same year Home Improvement ended its highly successful run — he reprised his Buzz Lightyear role for Toy Story 2 and starred in the sci-fi spoof Galaxy Quest. Though his next film, Big Trouble, was pulled from its original release date and delayed by Touchstone (the studio thought audiences may find the plot involving a missing nuclear bomb distasteful after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks), fans could still get their fill of the popular funnyman with the release of Joe Somebody in late 2001.

When Big Trouble and Joe Somebody proved to be box-office duds, Allen returned to familiar territory in 2002, starring in the sequel The Santa Clause 2. With the success of that sequel under his belt, Allen stuck with the holiday genre for his next starring role. Playing opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, Allen filled the lead for 2004′s adaptation of John Grisham’s -Skipping Christmas, Christmas with the Kranks; in what was becoming a pattern in his career, the movie was reviled by critics, but did well at the box-office.

Allen fared slightly better with his first 2006 effort, a remake of Disney’s The Shaggy Dog. Summer 2006′s superhero-school comedy Zoom came and went; a second Santa Clause sequel, entitled The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, did modest business considering the franchise. The early-2007 weekend-warrior comedy Wild Hogs — in which Allen joined Martin Lawrence, John Travolta and William H. Macy — may not have seemed like a good bet on paper, but its surprise success did much to establish Allen in a new, non-holiday franchise.

The Carlyle Group is the largest private equity investment firm in the world, with over $90 billion in assets under management. This year they chose Chris Bliss as the opening night keynote at their annual investor conference in Washington DC, attended by top institutional and individual investors from across the globe.  Dell Healthcare Services is the largest provider of healthcare IT in the United States. Dell’s annual Executive Healthcare Summit, attended only by top executives of Dell and its major healthcare partners like the Mayo Clinic, also featured Chris Bliss as its after-dinner speaker.  The Broward Workshop is a business organization made up exclusively of chief decision makers from 100 of south Florida’s leading companies, including legendary entrepreneur Wayne Huizenga  and Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza. They decided to add entertainment to their annual retreat for the first time ever this year, selecting Chris Bliss.  Three diverse meetings with two things in common: the highest level of decision makers in attendance, and the act hailed as “one of the brightest comedians around” by Jay Leno – Chris Bliss.

With an impeccable track record at all manner of events for many of America’s leading companies, including executive summits and annual retreats, Chris Bliss belongs on your short list.

Collins’ television stand-up credits include HBO, ABC’s “The View”, Comedy Central’s “Tough Crowd” and Comedy Central. David Letterman caught Wali’s act and recruited him to do warm-up for his show. Later that season Wali was a featured performer on the “Late Show with David Letterman”.

Wali was featured as one of the lead actors in the Independent film, “Claire Makes It Big” and the award winning “Maybe Means No”. He also had a role in the Jerry Bruckheimer film “Coyote Ugly”. Television credits include roles in the hit sitcom “Spin City” and Comedy Central’s “Chappelle’s Show”. He was the host of the recent PBS series special, “Wild TV”. And if Wali’s face looks familiar to you it’s because you’ve seen him in numerous national television commercials.

In the words of Robert Klein, “Wali Collins is versatile, smart and very, very funny. Wali is headed only one way, Stardom.” If you haven’t seen Wali do his thing in either stand up or acting, you’re missing out on one very gifted man.

Check out this recent interview with Wali.
www.theapiary.org/archives/2009/03/_did_you_need_t.html

Technorati Tags: Wali, Collins, King, New York, NY, Djembe

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There’s no doubt that the current economic downturn might impact budgets for meetings. In the end, that might mean less production value. Simpler executions. Less investments in peripheral assets like keynotes and the like.

Sounds bad, but don’t fret.

Employing the science of Scottonomics (hiring Scott Bloom) can move a gloomy economic outlook into a bright spot – all day long!

Here’s how:

1. Big bang for your buck
   Scott’s rate is for the day and that literally means a day, not an hour, but a day.
2. More value for the money
   His day rate means you can use him how you see fit and as often as you like within your program.
3. Free of production riders
   Just give him a mic and he’s set to go
4. Complimentary bondability
   No one can connect with an audience like Scott. Count on no-cost instant and unmistakable audience repartee and then count the dollars you’ve saved.
5. And a slip right in factor with a bonus
   After 20 years in the biz, Scott can slip into any program without much effort whatsoever. He will no doubt make your life easy in a difficult time. And he’ll make you feel like you’ve spent a million bucks, when it’s only been a few sheckles — comparatively speaking. BONUS!

Whether opening the general session, introducing executives, entertaining between official presentations or crafting segues that underscore your conference objectives, Scott is the ever present and nearly priceless asset to any important gathering.